


Crimson Poem Arc

by Liza_Taylor



Category: Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Extella
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-22 02:18:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9577823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liza_Taylor/pseuds/Liza_Taylor
Summary: Archimedes lost time and time again. This time he decided to bring a new variable into the mix, a Hakuno from a dead world to control a certain Nameless hero...However, let's just say that neither of them are willing to let the world be destroyed without a fight.Fate/Extella universe, Archer based arc. Canon game ships are included but main focus is ArcherX female Hakuno Kishinami.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Been a while since I wrote a new fic but after beating the True Ending and Archer's route in Fate/Extella, well let's just say the fact that my OTP got shafted made me super salty. So I decided to fix it by writing a fic for the pairing in the Extella-universe.

                  Archimedes took a deep breath and stepped into the throne room with a pleasant smile on his face. He had seen many versions of this throne room in the different parallel worlds he traveled but this was one he had not seen in a long time.

                 Unlike Nero, who had a huge, heart-like throne, or Tamamo’s luxurious lounging couch, this one was a simple red chair. Sitting in the chair was the woman, adorned in a white dress with red accents, who seemed to destroy his plans time and time again. Not this time though. This time she was a vital part of his plan.

                 Next to the chair, was her servant, the red-clad Nameless.

                 Both of them looked up as Archimedes made his entrance.

                “Has something happened?” asked Nameless.

                The Caster shook his head. “Nothing bad, don’t worry. In fact, I was finally able to uncover another power of the Regalia.” The lie slid off his tongue easy enough. This was something he had been working on, hinting at for a while now.

                Hakuno stood up straight. “Really?”

                “It was buried deep in the records, it took some time for me to find it, a very long time as you can see.” He spread out his arms. “Now I am sure the menace that seeks to destroy the world can be defeated.”

                Hakuno rested her hands over her heart and smiled at Archer. “Finally, maybe we can stop all this fighting.”

                Archer nodded at her.

                Now. Now was the time for his plan. Archimedes held out a hand. “If you please, may I have the Regalia? I need to upload the data to the ring itself. Carrying it around has been…a burden.” He ended his sentence with a small chuckle. A joke in this apparently serious situation.

                Hakuno stood from the chair. The Regalia was on her ring finger. Unlike Nero and Tamamo whenever they were in the throne room, Nameless would give it back to her. What a pointless thing to do but it was the only reason why this plan would go so well.

                The girl approached Archimedes. He had to resist the urge to laugh. He had done too well this time around. Neither of them suspected his real goal. He had played them both, helping them whenever they needed him, assisting more than he had done in the other worlds. He became the trusted second-in-command.  So that was why the red-clad Nameless did not shadow his master. That is why he stayed by the throne with his arms crossed. That is why Hakuno removed the Regalia from her hand and held it out for him with no suspicion in her eyes.

                It was so easy.

                Dead worlds were so easy.

                He smiled and took the ring from her. “Thank you Hakuno. It will only be a moment.” With the ring tight in his grasp, he turned to Nameless and unleashed the trap he had put around the throne a week ago when the two of them were out.

                The poor servant. Surprise lit up his eyes as a cage made from the glowing glyphs of Velber surrounded him.

                “Archimedes!?”

                He smiled at Nameless’s cry that sounded more like a curse. His other hand snaked out and grabbed the girl’s arm before she could stray too far and he released a spell. Those wide eyes closed and her body crumpled. Archimedes shifted his grip so she was leaning against him. It would do no good if she fell to the ground and damaged a part of her digital body.

                He smiled, his true smile, not the one he had been giving these people for the past month, at Nameless. The servant could not move, Archimedes had designed it to contain the Titan Altera but he had made a few modifications. He wanted Nameless to see this. He wanted the man to see Archimedes take her away.

                “We trusted you,” Nameless snarled. His body twitched as he tried to break free of the cage but, of course, it was a cage to hold a giant. There was no way a puny servant like him could escape.

                “Maybe you shouldn’t have been so trusting then.” Archimedes put the Regalia on his finger and temporally overrode the owner data. He could have rewritten it to make himself the owner but that would take much longer and what was the point in that? He just needed the Regalia for one little thing.

                Well, technically it was one big thing.

                He accessed the data of Hakuno Kishinami. Winner of the Holy Grail War. This would take everything the Regalia had probably. He was doing something he didn’t know would actually work. Yes, it was probable, he had calculated if this plan was even feasible but who knows what would happen in practice.

                He finished the rewiring of her data and slipped the ring back on her limp finger.  She was probably the best person to hold the Regalia. Although, he didn’t know how useful it would be once they crossed worlds.

                He picked up the girl in his arms. She was surprisingly light for someone that had been pissing him off in many different worlds.

                “Don’t touch her!”

                Oh yes. Nameless was still here.

                Archimedes turned to the man. He couldn’t help it. He needed to gloat his victory. “Don’t worry, this world was always doomed anyway. It doesn’t matter what is done, this would have always resulted in a dead end world. However, I guess you won’t be there to see it as you won’t have a Master anymore.”

                Enough.

                He had already spent too long here. He could hear Nameless cursing him. It didn’t matter. Nothing of this world mattered. He just needed the girl of this dead end world. He had wasted so much time to track down a different parallel world with those two.

                This time though, this time the Umbral Star would fall and this time he would finally win. 


	2. Chapter 1

                 Archer took a deep breath and appeared within the throne room to obey Nero’s summons. Like always the golden-haired Servant was going on about beauty of something or other to that Master of hers. Or was she fawning over her Master this time? Archer wasn’t sure, he had come in late to the conversation.

                “Oh, there you are Archer. We’ve been waiting for you.” Nero turned away from her Master and acknowledged Archer’s presence. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Were they actually waiting for him? Probably not.

                “Is the capturing of our territories going well?”

                Archer turned his attention the speaker, the girl sitting on the throne. He always had to steel himself when he came in here and was in her presence. He liked it better when she was Nero’s damn ring. At least then he would not have to see her wavy brown hair and bright inquisitive eyes. A mirror to his own Hakuno, the one that had been lost when his world became a dead end. Well, not exactly. Unlike hers, this one was only the Mind. For some reason or another, the Hakuno of this world had split herself. Tamamo had the Soul in her possession. Speaking of that fox…

                “We’re working on it,” replied Archer. “We’re slowly taking over the territory in order to not alert Tamamo of our presence. So far, we haven’t attracted the attention of her generals. Li Shuwen was a great help in that regard.”

                “Umu, did you hear that Praetor?” Nero nodded proudly, like she had played a part the conquest of territory. “Soon we will have all of my lands back and we can take down that fox!”

                Archer would not have been surprised if Nero pulled a rose out of her ass in that moment.

                Hakuno smiled and Archer had to look away before it tugged on his heart too much. It was his choice to become one of Nero’s generals but being around Hakuno was….painful.

                “Remember the other reason we called Archer back?” Hakuno reminded gently.

                “Oh yes.” Nero put her hands on her hips. “Archimedes says he needs you for a small side project.”

                Archer’s brow furrowed.  What could that man want with him of all people? Archer wasn’t anyone important in this world.  “Did he say why?”

                “No but he said you would understand when you meet him.” Nero shrugged. “It was a new weapon or something right Praetor?”

                Hakuno nodded. “Archimedes said it was something that will be able to help us in the long run.”

                “He did huh?” Well whatever. The generals could handle things without him for a little bit. “Where is he?”

                “He said he would be waiting by my glorious dual with the lion,” said Nero.

                Oh. That gaudy gold statue. “Well, if you don’t need me for anything else, excuse me.”

***

                Archer stepped into the area of the statue and looked around for the Caster-class servant. He didn’t have his weapons out but he was ready to bring them out at a moment’s notice. It was too early for Sephyr’s appearance, hell Altera was probably not active either.

                “Oh, you’ve come.”

                Archer didn’t flinch as Archimedes stepped out from behind the statue. His haughty attitude made it clear that whatever was running through that Servant’s head, it was probably not good for Archer.

                “Why did you ask for me? Nero spoke of a side project, a weapon of sorts?” He crossed his arms and did not break his gaze from the dangerous servant in front of him.

                “Yes, a side project.” He chuckled. “I guess it can be called a weapon. My own personal weapon.”

                Archer’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t sense anything off around him. This was a territory they had only gotten back recently, there was no way Archimedes could set something up here so fast. Or could he?

                “I know that you, like me slip between dimensions,” said Archimedes. “Well, with less flexibility than me but nonetheless, you know exactly what it waiting at the end of this road.”

                “Is that why you wanted to talk to me? To gloat? Don’t you have the dragon under your control to talk about these things with?”

                Archimedes laughed. “Oh, you talk like this now but I cannot wait to hear you change that tune of yours.” He opened a terminal in front of him and brought up a picture. “Here, take a look for yourself.”

                The picture was large enough that Archer could see it from his position. It was her, Hakuno, lying on the stone floor in a cage of sorts. The cage was made from odd orange glyphs that seemed to be moving. The Hakuno in the cage appeared to be asleep, or Archer assumed she was, as dead things did not last long in the Moon Cell.  He stared at it for a moment and then at Archimedes. “So you have captured the body of Hakuno this time?”

                Archimedes laughed. “Captured the body? Well that is kind of what this but no. Altera won’t let me near that. No, this is another Hakuno, a different Hakuno.”

                “What the hell are you talking about?” Archer wanted to punch the smug Caster in the jaw.

                “This is the Hakuno from your dead world.”

                Archer stared at Archimedes. A couple seconds past. No laughter, no sudden exclamation that this was all a joke. He couldn’t help but smirk. Seriously? Did Archimedes really think that would work?

                “You don’t believe me? Oh, of course the idea of it is something your mind cannot handle.” He snapped his fingers.

                Some of the glyphs in the picture-no the video-began to glow. Immediately the sleeping Hakuno began to stir. Her hands wrapped around her stomach and her face scrunched up into one of pain.

                “Stop it,” growled Archer. Whoever that was, it was still Hakuno and seeing her in pain…he hated that.

                Archimedes snapped his fingers again the glyphs faded. Hakuno’s body relaxed but her eyes never opened.

                Archer frowned as his eyes took in something on her left hand. The image was grainy but…it couldn’t be…

                “What are you…oh.” Archimedes chuckled. “I should have thought of that first.” He opened his terminal and pushed a few buttons. The angle of the video changed. Now it was at her eye level and showed her from the waist up.

                Her left hand was in full view. The crown-like band around her ring finger, the gemstone both red and black. A Regalia. His Regalia.

                “How?” Archer looked at Archimedes in horror as the full brunt of what this meant hit him.

                “The Regalia has limitless power after all. She has been rewritten so she can be accepted in this world and live in this world with no fear of being deleted or destroyed to correct the discrepancy.”

                Archer could barely hear Archimedes’s words anymore. She was here, she was alive!

Shit. She was here and a prisoner of Archimedes.

“What do you want from me?”

                Archimedes grinned. “That was what I wanted to hear. I want you to help me, help me get the ending that this world should take but keeps getting stopped.” His easy-going demeanor broke for a moment and his face twisted into one of rage.  “But anyway, I’m sure this time will be a success.”

                “Why would I want that to happen?”

                “Because if you don’t, that girl in the cell is going to suffer and, from my understanding, she is your weakness. You cannot stand by and let her die.”

                Damn him. There was no point in trying to hide it. Obviously Archimedes knew what kind of relationship the two of them had.

                “I’ll even give you the final moments together to sweeten the deal,” continued Archimedes. He held out a hand. The hand without the corruption, Archer noted.

                Archer grimaced but he took the traitor’s hand and shook on it. Let Archimedes think he’s won for now. Archer need information. He needed to know where she was, what kind of spells were keeping her trapped, whatever else this son of a bitch did to her.

                Fine.

                For now he would be a pawn but once she was free, once she was safe, Archer was coming for Archimedes head.

***

                Hakuno was in darkness. It wasn’t dark like that of a room with the lights off but more of an absence of light at all. She wasn’t sure how she got here. She remembered Archimedes trapping Archer in that odd cage and then he had grabbed her.

                She couldn’t remember anything of what Archimedes did to her or where he took her but since then she had been wandering in this dark place. No matter how much she walked she didn’t hit anything. No walls, no hole in the ground, nothing. It had gotten to the point that she kept her eyes open and walked forward confidently. Why be scared if there was nothing to be scared of?

                How long has it been since she had started walking? She never got hungry, she never got tired. Her prana level stayed the same. She couldn’t code cast in this space. It was like she was a ghost wandering the void.

                She paused as something caught the corner of her eye. A light. There was something glowing faintly to her left. Despite being in darkness for so long her eyes did not cry in pain at the sudden appearance of this light.

                She didn’t want to hold out hope but she ran towards it. Much to her surprise, it got closer and closer until finally she passed through it.

                It took her a moment to take in her location. She was no longer in the darkness but in what appeared to be a large cavern. Mounds of gold coins and other treasures surrounded a huge stone slab. What was on the slab, drew Hakuno’s attention.

                It took a few minutes for her mind to comprehend what she was looking at. It-no she, was huge. Larger than any human Hakuno had seen before clad in white with tanned skin and red eyes. A veil covered her hair. No. This woman wasn’t human. She could feel the power coming off of the woman. Whatever she was, it wasn’t human or even a Servant but something else.

                “Huh? What are you doing here? I thought you were with the other me.” The titan (for how else could Hakuno describe her?) turned her head to look at Hakuno. She reached out one of her large hands.

                She was too fast, Hakuno could not dodge her in time. However, instead of feeling the hand wrap tightly around her body, the hand passed through her. Hakuno didn’t know which was more concerning. The fact that she didn’t feel anything or the look of confusion on the titan’s face.

                The titan looked at her hand and back at Hakuno. She closed her eyes.

                Hakuno looked down at the coins at her feet and tried to kick one. Nope, her foot passed through the coins.

                “Odd, you are with the other me. Then…” The titan’s brow furrowed. “No, you are different from my Prisoner.”

                “What are you talking about?” asked Hakuno. From the evidence she had gathered so far, she wasn’t in danger of being hurt by this titan. Since she had no idea what was going on or where she was, while she was here, at least she could gather some sort of information. She slowly began moving around the edge of the room.

                The titan’s eyes followed her progress but made no move to stop her. “You are not broken into pieces but as a whole person.” Her eyes narrowed. “But there is something wrong with you. It is like you are missing your body and yet…not.”

                Hakuno had no idea what the titan was talking about but maybe that did that matter. She was almost to the other side of the room. There had to be a way-

                Her stomach heaved and her vision grew fuzzy. She stumbled back a few steps and the feeling faded. Frowning, she took a cautious step in the direction she had been going and felt her stomach clench.

                That was not good. It seemed like whatever happened to her she couldn’t leave this room. She looked up at the titan, her apparently new roommate. Since she couldn’t leave, right now she needed information. Maybe a few pleasantries were in order? “My name is Hakuno Kishinami. May I have yours?”

                The titan seemed to be confused for Hakuno’s words. “The same as my Prisoner?” Her expression darkened and in a deeper voice she said, “I am Altera, the harbinger of destruction of your planet, a piece of Velber and the Umbral Star.”

                Hakuno’s breath hitched in her throat as fear washed over her body. She knew of this titan. Archimedes had spoken of her, the harbinger that would destroy everything. The one that she and Archer had been fighting against.

                Altera said nothing but watched Hakuno as the fear coursed through her. However, once the initial shock passed through her, Hakuno’s brain kicked in again. For a harbinger, Altera had been pretty courteous so far, well despite trying to grab Hakuno but that seemed like a justified action based on the circumstance. All she knew of Altera was through Archimedes who betrayed them so how much of his information was even valid?

                “Odd, you feared me now you don’t anymore.”

                Hakuno looked up at Altera. Maybe it was foolish to not fear her but Hakuno didn’t get a sense of anything dangerous. Although it probably helped that she was apparently not physically here.

                “Do you know someone by the name of Archimedes?”

                Altera’s expression turned to one of disgust.

                “Oh, good I don’t like him either.” Perhaps if she gave a little she might get something in return? She quickly went over the details of what had happened in her throne room.

                Altera made no comment until Hakuno was finished. “So that is what is going on.”

                Altera stared at her for a moment or two and then nodded. “Alright, in return for your story I will share my own.”

                Hakuno could not believe the words coming out of Altera’s mouth. Apparently Archimedes had escorted a Hakuno here and then that Hakuno had ended up splitting her mind, body and soul to get away from Altera. The body was here with Altera while Nero had the mind and Tamamo had the soul.

                How could it be possible? Two Hakunos in the same world? Well, technically four at the moment. She remembered reading information in the Moon Cell about parallel worlds. Could this be a parallel world to her own? She looked down at her left hand but there was no Regalia there. Of course not, Archimedes had taken it from her. Her right hand was devoid of command seals.

                “Archimedes brought me from a different world,” she said slowly. “He probably used the Regalia to make it so this world would accept having two of the same person. But…why?”

                Hakuno let out a cry as pain coursed through her body. She crumpled to the ground, her hands clutching her stomach.

                “Prisoner!?”

                Hakuno looked up and saw Altera was now fuzzy. Before she could say anything, she felt herself get knocked backwards. The golden room was gone and again she was surrounded by darkness.  The pain was gone, and the memory of it fading fast. What in the world?

She stood(or she thought she stood) and looked around. There was no trace of that golden room and Altera. Had that all been a dream?

                No, it felt too real. Well, as real as it could have gotten and that pain had been real as well.

                If she was wearing the school uniform that she wore during the Grail War, she would have pushed up the sleeves. Now she was no longer wandering aimlessly through the darkness. Now there was a goal. She needed to figure out a way to get back into that room.

***

                Archer wanted to kill Archimedes.

                The first thing that traitor had asked for Archer to do was to make Tamamo aware her territory was being taken back. He wanted the two of them to start fighting and have one kill the other in order to reunite two pieces of the Regalia.

                So that was why Archer was currently hiding out on the edge of the Millennium Capital territory, waiting for one of Tamamo’s generals. Based on the scouting report, the generals patrolled the area regularly. The general was random but thankfully Lu Bu was rarely on guard duty. That was the only general that would not be able to deliver a message back to his leader.

                Sensing a presence, he peered around the corner of the pillar and grimaced as he saw Medusa approach. If it was Lu Bu at least he could make an excuse. This though…

                He took a deep breath and took off running as loudly as he could. As he thought Medusa gave chase. At first he made sure to keep out of her line of sight. He kept making tight turns until he got to Nero’s territory. A small piece of territory that had been taken away from Tamamo earlier in the week.

                There was nowhere to hide for him here but that was fine by him. He summoned his bow and a Hrunting arrow. He pointed it at Medusa as she entered the area and fired.

                She barely had time to dodge away from the full brunt of the attack. It nicked her in the side but she was still standing. Just how Archer predicted it.

                “Archer,” said Medusa.

                “I would get going if I were you.” Archer made the bow disappear and summoned his swords. “Gawain is close.” He smirked. “I don’t think you can handle two servants.”

                Medusa was silent for a moment.  “Odd that you would apparently help me but I will heed your warning for now Archer.” She turned and fled.

                Archer sighed and made his swords vanish. That worked out better than he thought.

                “Archer!” Gawain entered the area with his sword at the ready. Seeing Archer relaxed, the knight looked around in confusion. “I thought I saw the snake woman pass by here.”

                Archer nodded. “She as here but fled when she realized you were approaching.” He wondered if Archimedes was laughing at him nearby. “We need to inform Nero that Tamamo now knows we are taking territory.”

***

                “Why the long face? What is it that they say on Earth? Oh, like your puppy was kicked or something?”

                Archer stopped walking and glared at Archimedes. That son of the bitch leaned against the wall, seemingly enjoying the view of Nero’s Rome.

                His nails dug into his palms as he had to fight the urge to grab the man by the collar and slam him against the wall.

                The conversation with Nero had gone as well as he thought it would. Nero was pissed and Hakuno looked worried. The plan for right now was for the generals to patrol the territories and to make sure Tamamo did not take back anything else and to be alert if Tamamo was on the move.

                A temporary response for now but Nero was planning on launching an attack on Tamamo’s Capital once a solid plan was in place on how to tackle this endevour. Nero’s camp may have strong servants on their side but Tamamo had the advantage of territory.

                “Oh don’t look at me like that. I’m keeping my end of the bargain.” Archimedes pulled up the video of his Hakuno’s cell. Nothing had changed from the previous video. If Archer had not been paying attention to the steady rise and fall of her chest he would have thought she was dead.

                “If you are worried about her dying from starvation, don’t worry, the cage I have her in provides all of the nutrients a Master-well, she’s technically not a Master anymore- like her needs to survive. It would do no good to remove my bargaining chip no?”

                Archer did not give Archimedes the pleasure of a response.  If only looks could kill, the traitor would be dead where he stood.

                “Anyway, the plan has been set into motion.  I might need your assistance again soon depending on how this goes. Go back to playing as Nero’s lapdog for now. Or…” He grinned. “Perhaps the lapdog of the Mind of Hakuno would be a better assessment.”

                Archer had to remind himself over and over again that he couldn’t let his temper get the best of him. Archimedes was obviously goading him.

                “Are we done here? I do need to continue to patrol the territory to avoid suspicion.”

                “Of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you from that goal.” Archimedes stepped away from the wall. “If you will excuse me, I have a trip to the Millennium Capital to make.”

                Archer watched him go before he focused back on his own round. He made mental notes as he walked of areas where sector traps could be placed. He had a feeling that Archimedes would ask for something like that in the future.


	3. Chapter 2

               “Prisoner, you left without saying goodbye last time!”

                It took Hakuno a couple of seconds to figure out that Altera was talking to her. The giant woman had an actual pouty face that did not seem to match the rest of her appearance.

                “Sorry but I’m not sure what happened last time….or how I got here again.”

                Like the previous time, Hakuno wandered the darkness for what felt like forever until she again saw the light and stumbled into the cavern with the titan. However, unlike before, all of the gold coins and artifacts were gone and instead there was what appeared to be a crude campsite.

                Altera turned her giant body to face Hakuno. “I’ll forgive you,” she said with a long sigh. She smiled. “I’m happy you were able to come again. It was nice talking to you last time.”

                “Was it?” Hakuno didn’t really think anything she said was worth of note.

                “Yes, it was.” Altera reached out and poked Hakuno in the chest. Well, the area of Hakuno’s chest as like before, her finger passed through Hakuno’s body. “You are different from the Body and yet the same. I can see what my Prisoner must have been like before in you.”

                Odd. Was Hakuno reading it right or did Altera actually care about the Body of Hakuno? Even the way she said “Prisoner” didn’t have a negative connotation to it like one would expect. It was….warm. Could it be that Altera was transferring these feelings onto Hakuno despite her technically being a different person?

                Ugh, this was dang confusing. She shook her head. “Is the Body out now?”

                “Yes, the Body is out with Hero Altera-that’s what the Body decided to call her. I am Titan Altera while she is Hero Altera. They are out taking care of someone encroaching on the territory.”

                “And you can control Hero Altera while talking to me?”

                “Hero Altera can function without me. It’s kind of like a…dream for me?”

                A dream? Hakuno looked down at her hands. Altera had mentioned that she was whole, there was nothing missing. “Could I be dreaming right now?” But then how was that possible? She was technically a digital ghost right now, like the ones she had seen back in the Moon Cell during the Holy Grail War. But this was different wasn’t it? She wasn’t separated from her body but then how…

                “Both of you think the same way.”

                Hakuno realized that Altera had never taken her eyes off of Hakuno. While the Master had been in thought, Altera had not looked away. It sent a shiver up her spine. It was unnerving. “I’m just trying to figure out how I’m here right now…” Her attention turned to an opening that appeared in the cavern.

                A girl walked through. Her eyes widen in surprise as she took in the other Hakuno standing there.

                It was downright creepy Hakuno had to admit. It was like looking in a mirror but not at the same time. The image wasn’t reversed, it was just there, alive and breathing.

                The Body of Hakuno Kishinami looked up at Altera and then at Hakuno. “So this is the Hakuno you mentioned earlier.”

                Even the voice was the same!

                “I’m glad you returned unscathed Prisoner.” Altera’s voice had a different tone to it as compared to when she was speaking to Hakuno. It was the voice of someone that completely trusted their Master.

                The way the Body looked up at Altera, it was obvious the feeling was mutual.

                “Of course Altera, you wouldn’t let any harm come to me.” The Body looked away from Altera and approached Hakuno. Like her Servant (was the Titan Altera her Servant?) she reached out to touch Hakuno’s face but her hand passed through. “It is true. You aren’t really here.”

                “Yes, I figured that out pretty quickly.” Hakuno coughed. Was that too snarky? Wait a minute. She looked up. “You’ve been out there right?”

                “Uh yes, not very far though,” replied the Body.

                “Do you know if Archer is in this world? Uh, he goes by Nameless sometimes. Tall, wearing red, tan skin, white hair, too snarky for his own good?”

                The Body shook her head. “I haven’t seen anyone like that.” She looked up at Altera.

                Altera shook her massive head. “I haven’t either however we have not left Zero Dark yet.”

                Hakuno’s shoulders slumped. With Nero and Tamamo here, two of her Servants, apparently, she thought that perhaps he would be here as well.

                The Body reached out but her hands passed through Hakuno’s. She grimaced and then looked up at Altera. “I know this is a bit much but can I request that we scout to find him.”

                “Prisoner?” Altera’s surprise was clear.

                The Body turned to Hakuno and smiled. “I can see it in your eyes,” she said gently. “We might not be the same Hakuno but I can see myself in in you. I know that this Servant is important to you.” She looked up at Altera. “If we were separated, I would want to do anything I can to see that you were safe.”

                Was Hakuno imagining it or was Altera blushing? This huge Titan blushing at a few mere words?

                “We…we can leave Zero Dark on a scouting mission,” Altera stammered out. “Tomorrow though. Prisoner, you need to rest tonight and recover.”

                Hakuno crumpled to her knees. It was interesting, she noted in the back of her mind, that her body didn’t pass through the floor. “Thank you.”

                The Body kneeled in front of her and smiled. “If you don’t mind, do you want to talk for a little while?”

                Hakuno nodded and smiled. She followed the Body to the dinner table, carefully noting any change in her body. She did not want to get pulled back into the darkness or have that weird nauseating feeling again.  

                “It seems like if I stay away from that door out to this place I’m alright.”

                “Do you have any ideas of why that is the case Altera?”

                Altera shook her head. “I’m not sure. Perhaps your body is close by? However I cannot sense anything different around us.”

                “Although if Archimedes is involved...” The Body trailed off and shook her head. “One thing at a time right?”

                Hakuno blinked in surprise. She said that a lot during the Grail War. It had gotten to the point that Archer had started making fun of her for it. She looked down at the questionable food that Altera put down in front of the Body, the only one of the three that could eat.

                Despite them being from different worlds, it seemed like some things didn’t change after all.

***

                “So the plan is we invade the Millennium Captain on four fronts. My generals, you will each be at every corner to draw out the fox’s generals. While they were busy, Praetor and I will head for the throne room and take care of the fox.” Nero put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. “Any questions?”

                “I promise I will be able to match Karna’s lance with my sword,” said Gawain.

                “Well, this doesn’t like it will be easy but let’s do it.” Cu grinned.

                Archer nodded. The only one of Nero’s generals that wasn’t able to give his opinion was Li Shuwen, who was keeping an eye out in case Tamamo decided to take action against them.

                “Yes,” said Archimedes with a wry grin. “This plan seems like it will have the most chance of success.”

                Archer’s eyes narrowed. He had no idea what Archimedes had told Tamamo but the fact that the fox Caster did not try to take back any territory was probably his doing.

                “Alright, we leave at dawn!” Nero announced.

                The Mind nodded. “I hope are successful, and someone should tell-”

                “We might have a bit of a problem.” Li Shuwen appeared in the throne room.

                “A problem?” Nero frowned.

                The Assassin crossed his arms. “I didn’t recognize her so I don’t think she is a member of Tamamo’s faction but there is a tanned woman in white on our territory.”

                Archer saw Archimedes expression darken. He also had an idea as well of who it could be.

                “You ran away from a woman?” Cu stared at Li Shuwen in disbelief.

                “She’s a servant and a strong one,” replied Li Shuwen. “I do not know who she is though.”

                “This is quite unsettling, an unknown Servant on your territory…” Archimedes moved away from the table and bowed to Nero. “I want to look into this matter. It might be nothing but she might hamper our attack on the Millennium Capital.”

                “Better safe than sorry right?” pointed out the Mind.

                “I agree. Very well, you may look into it Archimedes.”

                “Thank you. May I borrow Archer, just in case it is…too much for me to handle?”

                “You aren’t needed until tomorrow,” replied Nero.

                Archer would have smirked but that might tip someone off that something was off with the situation. He didn’t want to give Archimedes any excuse to hurt Hakuno. So instead, he silently followed Archimedes out of the throne room.

                “Why is she early!?” growled Archimedes once they were out of hearing range. “Altera should not have left Zero Dark until tomorrow and why is she here? She is only supposed to appear in the throne room. Why is she ruining my plans!?”

                Archer crossed his arms and enjoyed watching Archimedes’s little freak-out.

                He sighed and turned to Archer. “No matter. Go and stall her, make sure she doesn’t reach the throne room.”

                “I thought you wanted her to kill Nero and get the Regalia?”

                “Later but not now. If she was going to do that Altera would have just appeared in Nero’s throne room, the fact that she is walking-why am I having this conversation with you? Go, stop her. Use all of those skills of yours. However,” he added when Archer turned to walk away. “I would rather you not die. I went through great trouble to get that girl, would be a shame for her to be a waste.”

                “I’m not planning on dying,” Archer replied curtly. _Not until I get her away from you,_ he promised silently.

***

                The Body had to marvel at Nero’s Rome. It was beautiful, with stone architecture and statues. She found the Nero wrestling a lion statue to be a little much but from what she gathered about Nero from the Moon Cell database, it fit her personality.

                “Prisoner, if we go any further, I think we might be detected.”

                The Body sighed from within the Regalia on Altera’s finger. What luck. They had burst out of Zero Dark in the most inconspicuous space, and traveled here by foot. “Hakuno is going to be so upset by this. She was so hopeful when we left today. But thanks Altera, for deciding to look for him.”

                “It was nothing,” replied Altera with a small huff. “I just thought, I would grant a simple wish for her before I destroyed this world.”

                The Body had to smile at that. When she had woken up this morning, Titan Altera and Hakuno were in a deep conversation about table manners. The Body had pretended to be asleep so she could watch Titan Altera pretend to eat a steak with a knife and fork. When Titan Altera realized The Body was awake, she had been incredibly flustered and made up some random excuses to why they were doing this.

                Hakuno was good for Altera. The Body had already seen it. Altera wanted something more in this world, she didn’t want to destroy it. Hakuno probably realized this as well-no, the Body knew Hakuno knew.

                She was kicked out of her thoughts as an arrow exploded near where Altera was standing.

                “Altera! Are you okay?”

                “I’m fine Prisoner. You?” Altera pulled out her Sword of Mars.

                “I’m alright.” She could tell Altera had taken some damage from the blast but it wasn’t life-threatening for now. Altera took off running in the direction the arrow had come from. Another arrow came flying at her but Altera was ready and deflected it with her sword. An explosion wrecked the ground behind them but Altera paid it no mind.

                As she was running the Body code-casted some healing to take care of the damage that had been done to her Servant from the surprise attack. They didn’t know what they were up against and the Body knew Altera could probably handle bit it was better to be safe than sorry.

                There! The Body could now see the owner of the arrows. A man cloaked in red. He summoned twin blades and dropped down towards Altera.

                “You dare to try to cross the Sword of Mars?”

                “Altera wait! I think this is who Hakuno was looking for!”

                Hearing the Body’s words, now in mid-swing, instead of aiming for the servant’s head she aimed for the blades and parried them. She jumped back a few steps to get some distance between her and him.

                “Are you the servant called Archer and sometimes referred to as Nameless?”

                The man’s eyes narrowed. “I’m surprised you heard of me Altera. We haven’t met before in this world.” He smirked. “Unless Archimedes set us up.”

                The Body could feel Altera stiffen at the mention of Archimedes but thankfully she ignored that comment. “So you are from the dead world.”

                Archer’s hostile look turned to one of confusion. “What did you say?”

                “Let me do the talking Altera.” The Body pulled her consciousness out of the ring and appeared next to her Servant. She noted how Archer seemed to be taken aback by her sudden appearance.

                “You…you must be the Body. Makes sense that there are three of you.” He had not put away his weapons.

                The Body took a step towards him.

                “Prisoner!” warned Altera.

                “You should listen to your Servant, that was not very smart of you.” Archer pointed a sword at her. “From this distance I could easily cut you down.”

                The Body put a hand out to warn Altera not to attack. “Wait, please give me a moment. Please Altera.”

                Altera grimaced. “If you know what you are doing Prisoner.”

                “I do.” The Body turned to Archer. “I know you will not attack me. You care too much about Hakuno to hurt her-any part of her.”

                He smirked. “You seem quite sure of yourself there.”

                “I know it as a fact.” The Body did not break eye contact. There was nothing within her that had a connection with this Nameless Servant. Maybe since she knew about the connection Hakuno had with him, she could see it in his eyes. No matter how much he tried to hide it, it was there. A small inkling that despite his words, he didn’t want to hurt her.

                “Now, I’m sure of it. You know Hakuno. Not as the Master of another but as your own.”

                “What?”

                “You love her too don’t you?” The Body smiled. “She will be glad to hear that.”

                “She?” repeated Archer. Was the Body seeing things or was there an inkling of hope in those guarded eyes?

                The Body nodded. “Yes, your-”

                “Prisoner, we are out of time.” Altera was looking at something to the left. “You wanted to resolve this peacefully and more Servants approach.”

                The Body grimaced. Damn. Already out of time? She could not get a word in as Altera drew her back to the ring.

                “Nero’s planning on attacking the Millennium Capital tomorrow.”

                “Are you inviting me in as a guest?” asked Altera.

                “Take of it what you will.” He made his swords disappear.

                Altera looked at him for a few seconds before she took off running.

***

                Archer watched Altera go.

                The Altera of this world was completely different from the one of his dead world. She had seemed much warmer, less hell-bent on the destruction of the world. She partook in an actual conversation without resorting to her weapon!

                It had to be the Hakuno, the Body by her side. Hakuno could probably make a True Ancestor her best friend with a bit of time. What the Body had said though, that’s what Archer was wondering about. The Body had known about him and his feelings for Hakuno. How? And what did she mean by “She will be glad to hear that?”

                Who was “she”?

                Maybe that was why he had told her Nero’s plan for tomorrow. If Altera was there, then the Body would be as well. It wasn’t like he had done something completely out of the ordinary, the original timeline, according to Archimedes had Altera attacking the throne room tomorrow. Perhaps, since this world was different, he said that in order to make sure Altera would be there. Maybe he would be able to get some answers…

                “Or maybe I’m just hoping that they have some idea of where she is…” He turned his head as Cu jumped into the area.

                “Everything doing okay over here!?” He had his lance out and he looked around cautiously. “Archimedes said you might need some help.”

                “I took care of it, let’s head back.”

                “Huh!? Wait, hang on!”

                Archer ignored the Lancer and left the section.  Thankfully Cu didn’t follow him. Archimedes was waiting in the same place he was earlier. “Well, I’m glad to see you return in one piece.”

                “I don’t want a hug so don’t ask for one,” replied Archer.

                “What happened? The territory seems to be in order.”

                Alarm bells went off in Archer’s mind. He shrugged. “Not sure. We traded a few blows and then she left.”

                “That was it?”

                “Yes?” Archer did not break eye contact with Archimedes. He had a feeling that whatever happened in that conversation, this man could not know. If there was a chance that Altera and the Body knew about his Hakuno…there was no way in hell he was going to let Archimedes know.

                “Alright then.” Archimedes shrugged. “Tomorrow, I’ll be taking over the sector that you are assigned to take. You will be following Nero to the throne room. Whoever lives in that fight…take care of them. You can leave the Hakuno alive, but the goal is to combine the two pieces of the Regalia. And, perhaps I will let you see her if you can take the Regalia from Altera…if she appears tomorrow like she is supposed to.”

                Archer’s eyes narrowed but he nodded. That was fine by him. “If you will excuse me, I’m going to regenerate prana for tomorrow.”

***

                “Prisoner is back.”

                Hakuno perked up as the Body stepped into the cavern. “Did everything go okay?”

                The Body nodded. She smiled and looked up at Titan Altera. “You want to tell her or should I?”

                “Oh, you can tell her!” replied Titan Altera.

                Hakuno blinked. Despite Titan Altera explaining it to her, she still didn’t understand how Titan Altera and Hero Altera were connected. Sometimes Titan Altera would comment on things Hero Altera had seen but other times Hero Altera needed to “return” to Titan Altera for her to know.

                “We found him-Archer.”

                “You did? How is he?”

                The Body hesitated for a moment and then said, “Well, he looked okay. He’s pretty strong I will admit. He was able to scratch Altera.”

                “Wait, he attacked you?” Hakuno’s eyes widen. “Are you okay?” She looked up at Titan Altera. The Titan didn’t seem distressed.

                “I’m alright,” said Titan Altera.

“I don’t think he wanted to.” The Body crossed her arms, a mirror gesture to Hakuno that was a bit unnerving. “The comment he made about Archimedes though was a bit alarming. I think Archimdes might be pulling on the strings behind the scenes.”

                “He’s a horrid man,” said Titan Altera.

                “Oh, but what is even more interesting is that he knew who Altera was before we introduced ourselves and I saw it in his eyes, he knows who you are,” said the Body.

                Hakuno’s hands covered her mouth. “How?” she whispered. There was no way he should have any idea of who she was or Altera unless… “Could he somehow be like me and from a parallel world?” Archer had had knowledge about a different Grail War while she was his Master during their War on the Moon. Was it possible that he remembered her too?

                A thought rose up in her mind. It was a crazy thought but it made sense. Why else would Archimedes need her? What good could another Hakuno do in a world that already had three? “You said, he said Archimedes told him to do it right?”

                She wasn’t one to see herself as anything more than she was. Heck, she was more of the type to downgrade her importance. However, what else could it be?

                “What are you thinking?” asked the Body.

                “If Archer knows of me and has feelings for me, and I know Archimedes knows of different worlds, why else would he bring me here unless it was to be able to blackmail Archer.” She knew how important she was to him. She had caught him watching her out of the corner of her eyes with a small smile on his face. Whenever she asked him about it, he would get all flustered and refused to answer. They had been through so much together…

                “He also said one more thing,” said the Body. “He said Nero is launching an attack on Tamamo’s territory tomorrow.”

                “Following my hypothesis…I assume that is because Archimedes has some hand in it. He would not have said it otherwise if he actually cared about it. But why would…”

                “He is after the Regalia,” said Titan Altera. “He was very upset when you split the Regalia in three. I assume he wants it put back together.”

                “He wanted you to kill me.” The Body looked up at Altera. “It would be best for him to not have the Regalia…”

                “I need to have the Regalia, we will need to combine it for me.” Titan Altera’s eyes narrowed.

                Hakuno raised an eyebrow. “Do you actually believe that or is that the Umbral Star talking?”

                “Uh, it...it’s me!” protested Titan Altera.

                “Did you actually make her flustered?” The Body looked at Hakuno impressed.

                Hakuno shrugged. She had been stuck in here with Altera. The only thing either of them did was chat. Now she had a sense of Altera and she knew she could challenge the Titan without worry. Well, also the fact that she was a ghost and Altera couldn’t touch her.

                Titan Altera coughed. “I am a part of the Umbral Star. I have to destroy the world.”

                “But you don’t want to,” replied Hakuno.  She didn’t move as Altera tried to grab her. Like always, Altera’s hand passed through her. Being a ghost did have its perks, although being unable to leave this room was annoying.

                “Originally I was planning on leaving the Zero Dark tomorrow,” said Altera. “We can go and make sure nothing bad happens…and it’s because I’m worried about Archimedes and his plan, that’s all.”

                “If I can find out more about Archer, I will, I promise you that,” said the Body.


	4. Chapter 4

The battle was going smoother than Archer thought was possible.

 Nero’s plan had worked perfectly. Tamamo’s army had been caught unaware and the generals were spread thin. It was easy for the empress to run past them and into the throne room. Archer watched from outside the throne room as Tamamo and Nero fought it out.

Neither side were getting an edge over the other. The power of the Regalia was incredible. He remembered when he had his own with Hakuno’s presence wrapped around him, they had gone into battles together the same way Nero and Tamamo were.

He shook his head. It had to be from the conversation he had with Altera the previous day. Why else would he think of that time, think of his Hakuno?

He gritted his teeth. What would she say if she knew what he was doing right now? Cowering right outside of a throne room, ready to assassinate the victor of this fight and take the Regalia pieces to Archimedes?  She would understand, that was the kind of person she was. She would understand why he had to do it but that didn’t mean he liked it.

His attention focused back on the fight. Nero seemed to have the upper edge. It made sense. Tamamo might be enhanced by the Regalia but she was still a Caster fighting a Saber. He summoned his bow. This fight was over. As soon as Nero took down Tamamo, he needed to fire an arrow and kill her in one strike.              

Before Nero could deliver the final blow, a resounding crack came from the throne room. The combatants froze and turned to the sound. Archer did as well and his eyes widen as he took in the maiden in white walking through the cracked hole. Void Cells leaked out from Zero Dark but they didn’t devour everything around them like they did in his dead world.

“So that information was correct, you two are fighting right now.” Altera’s red eyes took in both Nero and Tamamo.

“Miko! Another harem member enters the fray this late!?” cried Tamamo.         

“Who are you?” asked Nero. She frowned as she realized it. “A woman in white…you were the one on my territory yesterday.”

“Why are you still here? The battle should have ended a minute ago based on my calculations.” Archimedes walked up behind Archer. His eyes darkened as he took in Altera’s appearance. “What…why is she here?”

***

“Let me handle this okay?” The Body separated herself from the Regalia and appeared next to Altera.

“You are the Body of my Husband,” Tamamo said.

The Body nodded. “And you two have the Mind and Soul.”

As a show of good faith-like the Body thought, the Mind and Soul separated from their Regalia to stand next to their Masters.

“My name is Altera,” said Altera. “And I’m….” She glanced over at the Body and fell silent. The Body had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling. Hakuno’s words seemed to have a profound effect on her. “I’m here on the behalf of my Prisoner’s wishes.”

“This whole fight has been orchestrated,” began the Body. “It’s been done by-”

“Prisoner!” Altera forced the Body back into the Regalia as a spiral shaped arrow hit the ground in the middle of the group.

The explosion ripped through the ground but thankfully Altera seemed to have been prepared for a surprise attack as she was able to escape unscathed.

Tamamo and Nero were not so lucky. From their previous battle with each other, they were too tired to fully dodge the attack and instead were knocked backwards. Thankfully, it seemed both of them were able to draw the Mind and Soul back into the Regalias to protect them.

“I know that attack…” whispered Nero.

“How!? How!? How!?” Archimedes stepped into the throne room. His eyes blazed in anger. “Why are you here!? Why did you stop them!  You were supposed to destroy the world. Why do you want to talk with them!? Destroy them with your Noble Phantasm! Take their Regalia!”

Right behind Archimedes was Archer and a woman with a dragon tail and horns. She wore black, half of her body covered in purple and gold squares.

“I hope the squirrels all made it,” she chuckled.

“What did you do with my maid!?” snapped Tamamo.

“I’ve gotten a new manager now,” she replied with a wink.

The Body could see it in Archer’s eyes. He didn’t want to do this.

“I should have expected this from you…” growled Tamamo.

“What about you Archer! You were an important general, I put my trust in you!”

Archer looked away from Nero’s words.

Altera turned her sword around and pointed the hilt to the sky.

Archimedes froze. “Fine… You made your choice Altera. And you will regret it.” With those words, the three teleported.

“Good job not chasing after them.” The Body gave Altera a mental pat on the head.

“Tactically, this was the better choice, that was all. In my time as Attlia the Hun, having allies in a fight like this is crucial.”

The Body left the ring as Altera deemed it was safe. Tamamo and Nero were still weakened and tired but this was no time to rest. “So, I think it’s time to get the two of you caught up on things. As Masters of Hakuno Kishinami, you might want to hear this.”

***

Teleporting through Archimedes’ power left Archer feeling like he needed to take a bath in acid. It felt slimy and off. His “allies” didn’t seem to have the same negative reaction to the teleportation but both of them were corrupted by Velber so that probably played a role in that.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn everything!” Archimedes was still cursing out Altera, the loss of his plan and who knows what else as they appeared in a large room, a throne room that similar to the others.

Archer did not care about Archimedes’ ranting. His attention was focused on the center of the throne room where a cage made from floating glyphs was. “Hakuno…” She appeared to still be asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

This close to her, he saw the ring on her left hand. It was true then. That was their Regalia, this was his Hakuno. He wanted to reach through the cage and pull her out, to hold her close and then run like hell out of here. However, the glyphs crackled with energy. He had a feeling if he did try, he would injure himself and possibly her.

“How did she know!? How did Altera know! Archer, what did you do?”

“Nothing,” replied Archer. “I didn’t know she would appear today.”

“I did see you two have a conversation.” Elizabeth threw her hair over her shoulder. “What was it about?”

Damn that dragon. Always sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.

Archimedes’s eyes narrowed and he snapped his fingers. The glyphs on the cage began to glow. Hakuno’s face scrunched to one of pain. Her nails dug into her palms and she curled into a fetal position. No sound escaped her lips but Archer knew she was in pain.

                “Stop it! Just stop it! I told Altera that they were planning on attacking tomorrow!” He didn’t know how much pain Hakuno could take. He didn’t want to see her hurt anymore.

                “And?” prompted Archimedes. He didn’t relent.

                “Altera knew about Hakuno,” Archer added through gritted teeth. “She knew about our feelings for each other.”

                Archimedes snapped his fingers again. The glyphs faded and Hakuno’s body relaxed but she didn’t wake. She was still alive though. That was worth it.

                “How could she have known…” growled Archimedes. He began pacing the room.

                Archer left him to it. Silently, he sat next to the cage. So close and yet so far. If only he could figure out a way to break this connected between Archimedes and the cage.

***

                Hakuno paced back and forth.

                “Does that help you?” asked Titan Altera. She had pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head against them as she watched Hakuno pace. “You haven’t stopped since Prisoner left.”

                Hakuno grimaced and shook her head. “Truthfully? Not really. I just feel like I have to do something, anything.” She looked down at her hands. “It is….annoying not knowing what is going on. I’m not used to being helpless like this…”

 She remembered the time Archer had gotten gravely injured by Li Shuwen during the Holy Grail War. This was ten times worse than that. At least when that happened she could actually do something. Right now, she had to rely on Altera and the Body. Would they prevent Archimedes’s plan?

“Do you not trust Prisoner and myself to do it?” Altera looked hurt.

“Oh! Not at all!” If Hakuno could touch Altera, she would have patted the giant’s knee. “I just want to be able to do something myself you know? You have to feel the same way too sometimes right?  Hero Altera and the Body are the ones always going out there while you are still here. It’s kind of like that.”

Altera thought about it. “That…that does make a little bit of sense.”

Hakuno felt a tugging against the edge of her skirt. She barely had time to cry out a warning as pain tore through her body. She fell to her knees, her hands wrapped tightly around her body. It was worse than last time. It was longer, so much longer. She could feel it from the top of her head down to her feet.

Like before, the pain receded as fast as it came on. She took a few shaky breaths, her throat hoarse. She had probably been screaming. Like last time, she was no longer in the cavern but back in the darkness.

She got up on shaky legs. Well, it was time to start walking again.

***

                “That story…is something that should have been told by the Muses. Another Praetor…”

                “What a sad story! Husband came from another world and is currently trapped? Wow, this sounds like we are on his route,” pouted Tamamo in a low voice.

                The Body nodded. “Altera and I, we want to help her and I was thinking that we could enlist the help of you two and your armies as well.”

                Nero and Tamamo exchanged looks. The Mind and the Soul exchanged looks with themselves and the Body. The three of them knew their Servants.

                “Alright,” said Nero. “Archimedes needs to know pain for taking one of my generals away.”

                “You and I do not agree but I would have to agree with you on this matter,” said Tamamo. “Even though this Husband might not know me, she is still my Husband no matter what.”

                The Mind groaned and clutched her head.

                “Praetor!” Nero grabbed her Master by the shoulder to help support her.

                “I’m fine Nero, it was just a dizzy spell,” said the Mind. She shook her head but she still looked unsteady on her feet.

                The Mind was the most unstable part of the trio. She was probably starting to break down.

                “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay, we should focus on helping the other Hakuno.”

                Altera stiffened.

                “What is it?” asked the Body.

                “I got a distressed message from the main body. It seems like the other Prisoner has vanished like she has previously.”

                “Could Archimedes have done something?” asked the Soul.

                “If only we knew where he went…” growled Nero.

                “He is most likely within the Zero Dark,” said Altera. “There was a patch of territory that I ignored because it was of no use to me. I think that is the only area that is not under the control of anyone.”

                “We should gather our generals and proceed to attack immediately,” said Nero. “Hurting Praetor…it cannot be forgiven!”

***

                “Archimedes if you are done rambling like a washed up idol making excuses, you might want to hear this.” Elizabeth flew into the room on loud wings. She landed daintily on the ground and struck a pose.

                Archer had not moved from his spot next to Hakuno’s cage. He had tried to make sense of the glyphs but he had to give up.

                “What is it?” Archimedes’ sour mood had not waned since being forced to retreat into the Zero Dark.

                Elizabeth chuckled. “There’s an army coming up on your doorstep. Nine Servants plus armies from three factions, it isn’t looking good for you.”

                “What? But how, this has never happened in any of the worlds, why is it…” Archimedes looked at Hakuno’s sleeping body. “One variable brought in so many confounds.”

                Archer stood and stepped in between Archimedes and Hakuno’s sleeping body.

                “Elizabeth, lead my army,” he ordered the dragon-girl.

                Archer was surprised Archimedes even had an army but being the administrator of the Moon Cell probably gave him some perks.

                Archimedes turned to Archer and snapped his fingers. A portion of the glyphs surrounding Hakuno’s cage peeled off and floated an inch around his neck. “A little incentive. If anyone comes into this room and goes for the cage you have to kill them. Otherwise both of your heads will roll.”

                “You bastard…” growled Archer.

                Archimedes shrugged. “Go Elizabeth. I have another matter to take care of.”

                “Yes, yes.” Elizabeth grinned and took off. “I guess it is time for me to take the stage.”

***

                The plan was going well, too well. The Body was worried. Nero’s and Tamamo’s armies were handling the Elizabeth controlled army. Altera’s generals were the only ones not in this fight. They had been ordered to guard the territories in case Archimedes had another plan up his sleeve. Gilgamesh, being the guy he was, had taken over Altera’s throne room stating that he would prevent anymore from getting close to ghost Hakuno. He was a strange fellow that was for sure but the Body had noticed he spoke of Hakuno like Archer did, as if he knew her personally.

                Of course this was no time to be thinking about that. Altera had charged for the throne room. It was unsettling how easy it was with the other armies to take care of the opposition. The Body expected more traps, more dangers, more something. However, they made it to the throne room without an issue.

                The first thing the Body noticed was a body lying in a cage of glyphs. The body of a whole Hakuno Kishinami.

                Altera barely had time to block as Archer jumped from above with twin blades of his own.

                The Body could see a ring of glyphs around his neck that matched the glyphs of the cage. Did Archimedes do something to him?

                “Why do you fight me?” asked Altera as they trades blows. “We are here to save her life and perhaps your own.”

                Can you break the cage and free her?” he asked back.

                “It appears to be made from Velber, so yes, I should be able to. I have been created to destroy after all and Velber is a part of me.”

                “You need to do it quickly,” he replied. “As soon as I stop fighting you, the glyphs will activate. Get her out.”

                “What about your own life?” Altera was surprise that she almost didn’t block another blow in time.

                He smiled. “Mine doesn’t matter. As long as she is safe.”

                “Well that’s selfish of you!” snapped the Body from the ring. She remembered the stories Hakuno told about their adventures together. The Body had seen how Hakuno’s face softened whenever she spoke about Archer. How worried she was of him. “She didn’t ask us to help to save her own life but to also save yours!”

                “And we will do both Prisoner. Increase my speed.”

                The Body obeyed. Archer, realizing what she was going to do, stepped aside. The glyphs around his neck began to glow.

                Altera raised her sword high.

                Behind them, Archer made a choked sound.

                Altera swung, the blade cutting through the glyph cage with no resistance. The response was immediate. The glyphs faded away, leaving behind just the sleeping Hakuno. The Body separated from the Regalia and kneeled next to the sleeping girl.

                “Is she…” Archer’s voice was hoarse as he approached. There was a raised scar around his neck in the shape of the glyphs but other than that he seemed to have come out of the incident unscathed. For that the Body was grateful.

                “She’s alive…” said the Body. She shook Hakuno’s shoulder but the girl would not awake.

                “She has a Regalia…” Altera said in surprise.

                Altera was right. The ring was present on her finger. This was probably the Regalia from her own world. Unlike Altera’s, this was the whole ring. “What if the only reason her ghost appeared in the cavern is because of the Regalia?” suggested the Body. “Maybe she was subconsciously using it?”

                “Then how do we get them back together?” Archer kneeled next to her and took her hand in his own. He smiled. “She’s still warm…”

                “Maybe we need to take her back to the cavern?” asked the Body.

                “I do not know Prisoner but we can try.”

                Archer carefully picked up the sleeping Hakuno bridal style.

                “I do not know if you can survive the pressure caused by my main body,” said Altera.

                Archer shook his head. “I don’t care. I’m not leaving her side.”

***

                Hakuno sighed as she finally walked into the cavern again. Altera’s expression brightened. “Are you okay? I was so worried about you.”

                “I’m okay.” She forced herself to smile. Thankfully she felt no after-effects from the pain that had torn through her body. “The darkness is just a bit of a pain to walk through.” She looked around. “Is the Body not back yet?”

                “A lot of things happened. Archimedes showed his hand and escaped with Elizabeth and Archer. They went to attack Archimedes’s lair to try to save the both of you.” Altera smiled. “They will save you.”

                Hakuno blinked. “Really?’

                Altera nodded. “And the Body was able to convince Nero and Tamamo to join in as well.”

                Hakuno couldn’t help but feel grateful for the servants she had never met. “Do you know if it is going well?”

                Altera shook her head. “No, they’re in the middle of attacking the armies. The other me and the Body are heading for the throne room….you are worried about them aren’t you?”

                “Just a bit but I have a feeling you can do it.”

                Altera’s face reddened and she looked away. “Odd, even though you aren’t my Prisoner it makes me happy when you are happy.”

                “Well we are friends after all.”

                “Friends?” Altera looked at her in surprise.

                “Well yes? What did you think we were?” Hakuno laughed. How different would things be if she knew about Altera in her own world? “You also haven’t been talking about destroying the world much anymore.”

                “That is…that’s because…” Altera looked away. “I like hearing your stories…” she mumbled.

                “Ugh, how sick!”

                Altera and Hakuno stiffened as Archimedes appeared in the room. “Sephyr, you are a creature of destruction, you are a part of Velber…” His eyes widen as he took in Hakuno’s ghost. “So that is the missing variable,” he growled.

                If Hakuno could punch the guy in his stupid jaw she would have. Altera’s expression darkened.

                “You have lost. Your army is destroyed,” Altera said in a dangerous tone of voice.

                “No, I still have one more card left to play.” Archimedes lifted his hand.

                Before he could do anything, chains seemed to come out of nowhere and wrap around Archimedes’ body.

                “I thought I smelled something foul in here.” A Servant clad in gold armor entered the chamber. “And what do you know, it was a groveling mongrel.”

                Hakuno recognized him from the Body’s descriptions of Altera’s generals. This was Gilgamesh.

                “Gilgamesh!” snarled Archimedes.

                Gilgamesh did not seem bothered. He yawned as a weapons started appearing through small portals behind him. He glanced over at Hakuno. “Mongrel, turn around and shut your eyes.”

                “I agree with him,” said Altera. She leaned forward and raised one of her hands.

                Oh.

Hakuno obeyed their wishes and turned. However even though she had her hands clamped over her ears she could hear everything that happened. It was a collection of sounds that would haunt her for the rest of her digital life.

                “You can look now.”

                Hakuno turned around. There was no evidence of Archimedes in the cavern. Maybe it was for the best that way.

                Altera shook her hand, like she was trying to get rid of a stain that wasn’t there. “I have to thank you King of Heroes.”

                Gilgamesh grinned. “It wasn’t for you Altera. I was settling a debt I owned.” He stared at Hakuno as he said it.

                She smiled back, not really sure what he was talking about. Perhaps in another war, he was her servant? She wasn’t one to tout her own horn but being able to make the King of Heroes indebted to her was probably no small feat.

                “Thank you Gilgamesh.”

                He nodded before he left the room the same way he came in.

                “Odd…” commented Altera once he was gone. “I didn’t give him a way to get in here…”

                “Maybe he made his own?” suggested Hakuno.

***

                Archer felt like there was a weight pressing down on him as he entered Altera’s throne room. There was just an ominous presence in this space, like the world was tethering on the edge of collapse here.

                “That is my throne,” Altera said with a frown.

                Seated on the throne, like he belonged there was the golden hero Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh rested his elbow on one of the arms of the seat, his head resting in his hand. “Took you long enough mongrels.” He eyed Hakuno’s sleeping body in Archer’s arms and then eyed Archer. “And Faker. You seem to have something new there, around your neck!”

                He leaned back in the seat. “Archimedes showed up,” He laughed when Altera and Archer stiffened and began looking for danger. “Your Titan self and I took care of it.” He got up from the chair. “Did you leave anything for me to fight mongrels?”

                “There are a few stragglers left but Elizabeth is almost beaten,” said Archer.

                “Something is better than nothing.” Gilgamesh grinned and teleported out of the throne room.

                “I wonder if that counted as the one time he would save you?” asked the Body as she left Altera’s Regalia.

                Altera shrugged and vanished.

                The Body gestured for Archer to follow her. “If it gets too much, that’s okay. It’s going to be worse in the cavern.”

                Archer shook his head. “I’m not leaving her.”

                She smiled. “I can understand why she mentioned you were very protective.”

                A portal appeared against one of the pillars. “She’s in here.” The Body stepped through without hesitation.

                Archer looked down at Hakuno’s sleeping face and then at the portal. He shifted his grip slightly and took a deep breath and stepped through.

                The pressure was much stronger here than it was on the outside. He fought against the power trying to push him to his knees as he took in a cavern filled with gold coins. Sitting on a pedestal was Titan Altera.

                “Welcome, it’s nice to finally meet you after hearing so much about you.”

                He stared at her in disbelief. This was the titan that destroyed the world he was from with Hakuno? The titan that destroyed everything was welcoming him into her home like a gracious host. It was startling to say in the least.

                “Archer?”

                His eyes tore away from her and to the sound of the voice. His breath hitched. There was a second Hakuno in this room. One in a dress with black markings. She ran over to his side. No, it was more of floating. Despite the fact that she should be displacing coins as she ran, her feet passed through the coins without disturbing them.

                She stopped in front of him. “It is you. You are here,” she whispered. She looked down at her body. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched her cheek. Immediately she disappeared and the Hakuno in his arms stirred.

                “How long were you planning on sleeping? We have things to do!” Archer could not help the jab.

                She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. “You better have made some breakfast, I’m starving. Something with lots of sugar too, I don’t think I’ve eaten in a long time.”

                Archer rolled his eyes. “No, you are getting a balanced meal.”

                She giggled.

                Archer smiled back and set her on the ground. Thankfully she seemed to be able to stand without help. Good.

                He collapsed to his knees.

***

                “Archer!?” Hakuno kneeled down next to him. What had happened? One moment he was joking around with her and the next he was on his knees, his breathes coming out in short gasps.

                “I’m sorry,” said Altera. “My presence is too much for a Servant to handle.”

                “We warned him it might be too much,” frowned the Body.

                “Archer!?” Hakuno touched his cheek. “You could have waited outside and let Altera take care of this.”

                “But I didn’t want to be apart from you...” He reached up with a shaky hand and clasped his hand over hers. “I just couldn’t not believe it…that you are here…”

                But who knew how much longer that would last!? She reached out with her left hand and paused. The Regalia. She had the Regalia from her world. The Body was fine in this room. Now that she was here in a physical body she was beginning to feel the pressure as well but probably not as bad as Archer. That had to be because of the Regalia right?

                Then if that was the case…

                “Archer, stay with me.” She lightly slapped his cheeks. He looked like he was going to fall unconscious at this rate. He was starting to sweat profusely. “I don’t want to do this would your permission. Will you be my Servant again?”

                He cracked a smile despite the pain. “I always was and always will be.”

                Good enough. She pulled the Regalia from her hand and grabbed Archer’s left hand. He usually put it on himself but this time she put it on his left ring finger. The Regalia, being a magical artifact, the band got bigger so it would fit.

                She winced as pain seared the back of her right hand. She smiled at the command seals. “Welcome back old friends.”

                Archer’s breath was beginning to stabilize. He looked up at her and then down at his left hand. “I guess I can put you in time out now.”

                “What, no!” She lightly slapped his shoulder. “Last time I checked I’m the Master.”

                He rolled his eyes and flicked her in the forehead.

                “Gah! Why?!” She covered the spot with her hands.

                “Sorry, sorry,” he said with a chuckle. He pulled her hands away and kissed the spot where he flicked. “Better now?”

                Her face flushed and she looked to the side. “Maybe…” she mumbled. When she looked away, she remembered that they weren’t alone in this room.

                The Body and Altera were watching them in obvious amusement.

                “Is that what people who are together do?” asked Altera.

                “I think,” replied the Body. “I’m not a hundred percent sure myself.”

                Archer rubbed the back of his neck and stood. “Thank you,” he said to Altera.

                Altera blinked and looked away. “You two better visit…or I’ll have Hero Altera destroy the world!”

                “Of course, we still need to work on your table manners Altera!” Hakuno said with a laugh.

                “Why do people need three forks!?”

                The Body grinned and led the way out of the cavern and back to the throne room.         

                “I have to thank you Hakuno. If you weren’t here then I don’t think Altera would have been able to change so quickly.”

                “I don’t think I did much at all,” replied Hakuno. “I just wish I knew of her in my world. We were fighting her, Archer and I, but we never bothered to understand her. But…what happens now?” Despite everything that happened she knew this mess wasn’t exactly over. “The Umbral Star is still a threat technically.”

                The Body nodded. “Yes. I am worried about that. The Umbral Star is still drawing closer but I think Altera has no interest in becoming Sephyr anymore. She wants to live, even though she’s in that room and has to experience everything through a dream, she wants the world to be continue on. I’m sure we can think of something.”

                “I’m sure too,” replied Hakuno.

                “Prisoner, what are you talking about?” Hero Altera appeared in the throne room. She looked at the group in confusion and then she held out her hand. “Come Prisoner, we need to check on the armies.”

                “Oh, that’s right, we need to tell Nero and Tamamo that the plan succeeded!” Hakuno said with a gasp.

                “This’ll be interesting,” Archer rolled his eyes.

                “I can’t wait to meet them,” said Hakuno. “I wonder what other Servants of mine are like.”

                “We’ll go on ahead.” The Body went into Altera’s Regalia and the two took off.

                “And there they go…” Hakuno took a few steps and looked down at her feet. “It’s so weird being able to feel the ground again after so long. It’s nice though, I missed-”

                The rest of her words were muffled as Archer’s arms surrounded her in a tight hug, his face buried in her hair. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Give me a moment.”

                She smiled and hugged him back. For her it hadn’t been that long since they had been separated. For him though, who knew how long it had been?

                He released her and gazed into her face with an intensity that made her blush.

                “Stop it, you’re making me nervous,” she mumbled.

                “We can save that for tonight once everything is settled down.”

                She looked up at him in disbelief, her face burning. She didn’t know what made it worse, her reaction or the fact that he was giving her a very innocent look. She coughed and looked away. “Well, uh, we should get going. Have to make sure everything settled and such right?”

                He chuckled. “Of course…Master.”

                Like many times in the past, she transferred herself into the Regalia. She had to smile as she was surrounded by Archer’s warm presence.

                No matter what happened, this time they would be able to face it, together.

               

               

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't realize how short a game is until you write a fic within a game's timeline. So thus ends part 1! I am planning on writing a second part which will tie up all of the loose ends and such but I want to finish up all of the side stories in the game first. Don't know when I will have time to get to that as I have a huge state exam coming up so I'm studying for that but hopefully soon enough!


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